This journalist-politician
constantly fought for freedom of expression and the right to dissent. As the editor
of the Allahabad newspaper, The Leader, he spared none, not even his guru Gokhale.
He didn.t shy away from criticising the members of the Newspaper Board and it
is a measure of his integrity that it always allowed him to have his way. In his
political life, too, he was an ardent champion of liberal values and was twice
elected president of the Liberal Party (or the National Liberal Federation). He
was not in favour of the Gandhian methods of satyagraha and non-cooperation, dubbing
them as populist. He was also disturbed by the intolerance of dissent that was
creeping into the Congress at that time.